Darren sat in the chair, resting after his duel with Zerrato. He opened his deck box and slipped Mazera De Ville in. 'Thank a lot Luke. I might not have won if it hadn't been for you'. He flipped through his deck until he got to the Beast of Talwar.
'I'll bet if Luke were here he'd be proud', Arcturas assured. Darren smiled and put his deck into his duel disk.
'Arcturas, do you remember any of your old friends?' Darren asked his alter ego. There was a pause. 'Arcturas?'
'Yes, I do remember some. I remember the ones from my last memory. But I don't remember most of them', Arcturas answered.
'Well, what is that memory of', Darren continued.
'I don't want to talk about it'. Darren was about to push for the answer, but thought about what his father said to him.
//Flashback//
"Give it time. Eventually he'll need your help and you'll learn everything. But until then, be patient". Darren sighed. "Believe me, some things you're not ready to know".
//End Flashback//
'Alright, you don't have to tell me', he said.
'Thank you'. Darren tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Arcturas stood in the halls of Darren's mind. There was a look of great depression on his face. He looked down at his feet and his black hair fell in his face. 'If only it were any other memory'.
Arcturas stood in a brightly lit room. It was made of sandy rocks and had gold carved into the walls. Long, silk banners hung from the ceiling. It was the banquet hall of a palace. Torches were everywhere, illuminating the enormous dining room. It was where grand feasts were held. It was always full of laughter and excitement. It was a place where everyone had a good time. But not now.
Pieces of the wall were strewn over the floor. The tables were broken and splintered. Torches were on the ground, setting things ablaze. The banners had been torn down and shred. Some of them were burning. And there were bodies. Bodies lay on the floor, motionless. Some were dressed in royal robes. Others in the armor of the palace. Some in priest robes. And some of them were in black cloaks. They were the enemy. The ones in black were the ones who had made the assault on the kingdom of Pharaoh Atem.
Of the nearly one hundred bodies that littered the floor of the banquet hall, only about twenty were in black. The rest were servants of the Pharaoh. Arcturas stood in his flowing blue robes. He moved some of his long black hair from his face. A golden staff was in his right hand. It stretched all the way to the floor and was almost as tall as him. At the top was a cobra's head (like Jafar's from Alladin). One of the ancient duel disks was on his left wrist. The power gage looked untouched. Hanging from his neck was the golden Millenium Medallion. He had a look of distress across his face, but a burning anger in his eyes.
'So many have fallen because of Vincent Frost. The dark priest will not make it out of the palace alive. This I promise to you my fallen allies. But I fear that tonight I will have to summon my Black Angel'. He clenched tightly on the staff in his hand. A tear ran down the outline of his cheek, but he quickly brushed it away.
"I cannot cry. I must fulfill my obligations to my King. I was named the Seventh Guardian, Arcturas the Undefeated and I am to keep that title by protecting the Pharaoh from the three dark priests". Loud clapping came from a hall to his left. The sound of feet smacking the stone floor rapidly was drawing near. Arcturas turned to face the hallway and held his staff in front of him. A black aura glowed around his left hand. The steps quickly halted just before the turn to the doorway. Arcturas's eyes narrowed as he looked for any sign of the intruder. "Show yourself!" he shouted. A person in priest robes walked into the room.
"Guardian Arcturas, I'm so glad to see you. I was afraid the hall would be full of the enemy", he said. He had short brown hair with a cowlick on one side. His robes were a dark green. He had an ancient duel disk on his left wrist.
"For a second there Rocho, I thought you were one of the enemy. But no, this battle is over", he said uncomfortably. Rocho looked stunned at him.
"What's wrong? You should be glad that you were to stop these intruders", he said.
"Though I was able to stop them from reaching his highness, I couldn't stop them from slaughtering our friends. Almost eighty of our men lay here. That's nearly four times as many as theirs. I must get to the throne room and serve the Pharaoh. Has your strongest monster been summoned yet?" the guardian asked the priest.
"No, I haven't summoned my beast of lightning. I haven't needed to yet. How about you. Have you needed to resort to the Black Angel yet?" Arcturas merely shook his head. "I wish I knew where Vulcan Flare is. We could really use his help. His dragon is almost as strong as the Pharaoh's three great beasts".
"I have a bad feeling he won't be able to help us tonight", Arcturas said with the same uncomfortable tone. "I need you to go to the throne room and tell the Pharaoh I'm on my way. I just have to speak with someone before I can get there".
Rocho looked at Arcturas. "It's Destiny right? Your lucky that such a pretty girl likes you. If you manage to survive tonight, are you gonna ask her to marry you?" Arcturas has a mournful look of doubt on his face.
"I don't know Rocho. Right now, I just hope I can keep the Pharaoh alive through the night. But go now and tell him I'm on my way".
"Alright. But is it true? Is he really going to give you the Millenium Puzzle so you may keep it safe from the dark priest?"
"Again, I don't know. Just go now. And should you run into Flare, tell him to go to the throne room if he is still loyal to our king". Rocho nodded his head and ran in the direction of the throne room. Arcturas stood in the banquet hall in silence. He heard the occasional crash from another part of the palace as battles raged on. Beads of sweat were forming on his face as he thought of how much time he was losing.
'Where is she. I told her to meet me here almost an hour ago. Any longer and I'll have to'. His thoughts were cut short by a soft voice behind him. He looked back to see a girl facing him. She had a cute face glistening with two brilliant green eyes. And her bright blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a pink dress. She across the room toward the seventh guardian as he took a few steps to meet her. They stood directly in front of each other. She looked up at the cold, cruel expression on his face. It seemed to lighten when he looked back. She held her hands in front of her breasts.
Arcturas held up his left hand and move his knuckles over her warm cheek. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. He held his staff to the side and slammed it against the floor, lodging it in the stone. He put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her a little closer. Some of the worry in her face disappeared.
"I don't want anything to happen to you. I want you to leave the palace. If I make it through the night, meet me on the palace steps tomorrow so I can see you. But I don't want you to get hurt and you will if you stay here. So take refuge in the village", he finally said. The girl looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"Why? Why can't you come with me now and live. I don't want anything to happen to you either", she said. The tears rolled down her face.
"I can't. I am a guardian of the Pharaoh and it is my duty to put his life before my own. I am sworn to protect him at any cost".
"I beg you…please come and be with me. I don't want to lose you", she begged. She put her hands on his face. He moved his hands over her cheeks and onto where the back of the neck meets the head. He leaned in and gave her a long, passionate kiss. In the background, the chorus to When Love and Death Embrace by HIM is playing. He pulled her close to him and forced her into his chest. Moments passed before he let go and they pulled their lips apart. She looked up into the hollow black abyss of his eyes as he gazed back down into the water pools of life that were hers.
"I cannot", he said.
Another crystal tear slipped down her face and she bit part of her lower lip before saying, "I see".
"Wait for me in the village and I promise I'll come back", he said. She gave him a brief kiss on the cheek and turned and walked out of the hall. Arcturas watched her until she was out of sight. He gave a sigh, and tore his staff out of the ground. He turned in the other direction and took off running. He ran up a flight of stairs and into another large room where another battle was raging on. "I summon my Skull Knight". The skeleton with a strong sword and shield came to life and swung its blade at the enemies.
"It's good to have you here Arcturas. With you on our side, there's no way the dark priest can win", a soldier said. Arcturas nodded in acknowledgement. A man in a black robe came charging at him. Arcturas stood his staff on the ground.
"FINAL FLAME", he shouted. Flames roared from eyes of the cobra and engulfed the man. "RAIGEKI". Bolts of lightning branched out to all of the enemies, sending them to the ground. The warriors of the Pharoah cheered. "You men stay here. I'm going on alone". Arcturas took off running again through corridors, blasting away at intruders as he went. He came to a halt in front of two tall, wooden doors. There were spiraling designs painted on the doors. Arcturas slowly placed his hands on the door and pushed them open. The room was another large chamber. There wasn't any fighting going on, but it was full. Over a hundred figures in black cloaks stood facing Arcturas.
"Finally, we are graced by the presence of the seventh guardian", one of them said loud enough for his voice to echo throughout the chamber.
"I suggest you move out of my way", Arcturas said coldly. His grip on the staff tightened and his free hand curled into a fist. The men in cloaks moved around uneasily, waiting for a chance to pounce. Arcturas sighed and slammed his staff onto the floor. "CHAIN ENERGY!" he shouted. Golden halos whipped from the eyes of the staff, pinning the cloaked enemies to the walls.
"DOUBLE SPELL!" cried someone from the other end of the chamber. Arcturas's staff was wrenched from his hand and pinned against the wall. Arcturas looked at two figures standing opposite him. One was another man in a black cloak. But the person standing next to him wore a white robe.
"We've been waiting for you seventh guardian. Our commander told us to let you through to him. But the dark priest doesn't want you anywhere near the throne room". Arcturas raised his left arm, revealing his ancient duel disk and the others did the same.
"How does 4000 sound to you guys. I'll take you both on at once with double life points". The mens' shoulders shuddered as they laughed.
"Fine, but you'll never be able to take on the two of us". Arcturas closed his eyes and a black cloud leaked out from the Millenium Medallion. Purple balls of light floated around behind him. Six of them flew in front of him and formed stone slabs with pictures carved into them. The one in white laughed.
"Are you ready Akiraka? I'll go first for our team". He closed his eyes and black balls of light floated behind him. Five formed slabs and landed in front of him.
Arcturas looked over his choices. "Spirit Release, summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000). Then I hide a tablet". The light in his duel disk lowered a bit. The green genie floated out of the stone slab. One of the stones laid down with its carved side on the floor. "Go".
The man in the white robe examined each slab carefully. "Spirit Release, summon Sangan (A1000, D1000). Then I hide one tablet". He looked over at his teammate.
"A sloppy opening move Shoutaku", he said with a grin. Shoutaku grinned back.
"Just make your move Akiraka". Akiraka nodded his head.
"Spirit Release, Agent of Force-Mars (A0, D0) in defense mode. And I too hide one tablet and I use my Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your masked tablet". A bolt of lightning struck from the tablet and blasted the face down stone. "I end my turn".
Arcturas watched as another ball of light floated in front of him and landed, forming another stone. "Spirit Release, summon my own Sangan". Another ball of fur with three orange eyes jumped from inside the stone. "Then I use my Brain Control spell. I pay 800 points of my life energy to take your Sangan for one turn. I send all three of them to attack Shoutaku". The Sangan twins leapt at Shoutaku while the genie fired a ray of magic at him.
"Reveal hidden spell, Widespread Ruin", Shoutaku cried as the image carved into his stone bled through to the top.
"And I use my Sakuretsu Armor". Arcturas held his arms up as the tablets in front of him were blown to pieces and shards of rock fell around him.
"I end my turn. But because you killed my Sangan, I get to bring a weak fiend to my hand". A black ball of light landed in front of Shoutaku.
"Spirit Release, summon Goblin Elite Attack Force (A2200, D1500)". The armored goblins formed in a row facing Arcturas. "Attack him directly my monsters". The legion of goblins and the ball of fur hit Arcturas and jumped away. "I end my turn".
Arcturas- 4800LP
Shoutaku- 4000LP
Akiraka- 4000LP
Akiraka let a white ball of light form another stone before making his next move. "I feel out of place in this dark arena. So I'll use my Sanctuary in the Sky to change the field". White clouds filled the room and a large house rose with blinding light around it. "Spirit Release, summon Mystical Shine Ball (A500, D500). Attack him". The ball rammed into Arcturas's stomach and scurried away. "I end my turn".
Arcturas- 4300LP
Shoutaku- 4000LP
Akiraka- 4000LP
Arcturas watched his stone form. "Alright then, Spirit Release, summon Giant Germ (A1000, D100). Attack Sangan". The purple virus monster assimilated the fiend and exploded. "Because my monster was destroyed, you both take 500 points of damage. Then I get to special summon two more germs and have them attack Akiraka's monsters". The other two germs destroyed both of the fairy monsters.
"Too bad you won't hurt me. Since my Sanctuary in the Sky is our battlefield, I do not take any damage as long as I have a fairy monster on the field". Arcturas sighed and put a set a finger on his duel disk and three purple balls of light came out and faded away.
"I remove the three monsters you destroyed to special summon the Dark Necrofear (A2200, D2800). I end my turn". Arcturas released the blue, bald woman. Her very being turned the nearby clouds dark.
Arcturas- 4300LP
Shoutaku- 3500LP
Akiraka- 3500LP
Shoutaku's rock rose from the ground. "Spirit Release, summon another Goblin Elite Attack Force". Another set of goblins lined up next to the original ones. "I'll send one of my goblin forces to destroy your Dark Necrofear and another to destroy one of your germs. I end my turn". Arcturas's monsters were blown to pieces as well as one of the goblin legions.
Arcturas- 3100LP
Shoutaku- 3000LP
Akiraka- 3000LP
A black aura formed around the remaining Goblin Elite Attack Force. "Once my Necrofear hits the graveyard, it takes control of one of your monsters". Shoutaku looked desperately at Akiraka.
"Don't worry, I have this". Another rock materialized before him. "I'll hide one my monsters in defense mode. Then I use my Giant Trunade spell to return your Dark Necrofear to your hand and return Shoutaku's goblins to him. I end my Turn".
Arcturas formed another tablet. "My Nobleman of Crossout spell will get rid of your hidden monster". A tiny woman with purple hair shrieked and was destroyed.
"That was my Magician of Faith. Now if either of you has one, it is gone as well'. Arcturas sighed as another one of his lights went out.
"I'll continue. Spirit Release, summon Dark Necrofear. I'll send both of my monsters to attack Akiraka", the seventh guardian stated. The man in black robes took the direct hits and collapsed to the ground. The white clouds were replaced by black ones and the sanctuary disappeared. "I end my turn".
Arcturas- 3100LP
Shoutaku- 3000LP
Akiraka- 0LP
Shoutaku was furious. "You'll pay for sealing my brother away in the Shadow Realm. I pay 800 points of my life energy to bring back my other Goblin Elite Attack Force. Then I'll call my Scapegoats to fill up my monster spaces. Try getting to me now. Then I'll hide a spell. Then I'll have my goblin attack your final germ. I end my turn".
Arcturas- 1900LP
Shoutaku- 1700LP
Akiraka- 0LP
Arcturas didn't take his eyes off Shoutaku when his tablet formed. "I hide one spell. Spirit Release, summon Archfiend Soldier (A1900, D1500). Dark Necrofear, attack one of his goblins". The Necrofear blasted a wave of darkness at the goblins who, in response, threw a spear at the dark monster. "Next I'll destroy one of your goats with my Archfiend Soldier". The purple demon waved its cape over its face and disappeared. It reappeared behind the goat and pulled it into its cloak. The monster reappeared back in its position in front of Arcturas. "I end my turn".
Shoutaku's other army of monsters was possessed by the Dark Necrofear. "I activate my Dust Tornado to destroy your Dark Necrofear and to free my monsters. Then I sacrifice them to a stronger monster. Spirit Release, The End of Anubis (A2500, D0)". A purple jackal appeared from the darkness. "This monster makes the graveyard off limits. So your Dark Necrofear is useless. You can't win without your signature monster". Arcturas merely looked at the monster as if it were no more significant than the 1000 Eyes Idol. "End of Anubis, attack his soldier".
"Reveal hidden trap, Magic Cylinder". The monster's attack was reflected back into him and he collapsed to the floor and the black cloud filled back into the Millenium Medallion. He looked about the room and saw the bodies still pinned against the walls. "I promise to kill your leader. Vincent Frost will be joining you shortly", he shouted. Darkness washed over the room for a few seconds and when it was gone, Arcturas was the only person left in it. He held his hand up to the staff and it flew to him. He took off running through the chamber and into the next room.
'I'm running low on life energy. I don't think I can lose another monster', he thought. There was a loud slam behind him. He looked back to see a small army of people dressed in black rushing him. 'Please hold'. He slammed the staff into the rock, lodging it in place. "WALL OF REVEALING LIGHT!" A wall of golden light rose from the ground and sealed off the entrance to the room. He turned and kept running. He slid into a small closet-like room and cut a rope. On the wall. The room went into a free fall, like an elevator. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate.
'Millenium Medallion, show me what lies between me and the Pharaoh', he thought. The Millenium Medallion let out a golden glow and his head was filled with images. He saw through the floor of the room and made a left turn into a long hallway. A few feet into the hallway was a man in black robes. Beyond him was a set of doors. He looked after the doors and saw two men in black robes standing behind a third man. Opposing them were six people, both men and women, in priest robes. Each one of them bore a golden item. Behind them was a seventh person. He had purple hair that stuck up like a star behind blonde streaks in the front. His eyes were a stunning shade of purple, but the were reflecting cruelty. He was dressed in blue silk robes. There was golden jewelry with gems perfectly placed in the gold.
"Pharaoh Atem, why must you insult me in such a manor? And where is your seventh guardian? I wish to eradicate all of you at once", the dark clad man in the front asked. The Pharaoh narrowed his eyes at the men.
Artcuras opened his eyes when the room crashed into the floor. He kicked the door open and ran through the small passageway and stopped directly before the long hallway. 'There is only one more intruder between me and Frost. As soon as I take this guy out, then I'll rid this world of the dark priest. I just wish this intruder were someone else'. He turned the corner. He faced the intruder. The hallway's torches were out, leaving the hallway blacked out.
"So, I was right. The Pharaoh has decided to give his Relic of Darkness to you. I must ask you to reconsider". The intruder opened his hand to reveal a golden rectangle with rounded edges and two small L-shaped pieces going off at one end. "The Pharaoh is in grave danger and if you accept what he plans to give you, than you will putting yourself into peril as well. I don't want anything to happen to you, Guardian Seven. As you can see, I too have a Relic of Darkness". The figure withdrew his hand and took a golden chain that held the piece of gold in his hands and placed it around the neck of his hood. His voice was deep and raspy.
A purple light filled Arcturas's eyes, allowing him to see through the dark. His opponent had a dark red beard under his cloak. There was a stitched scar on his left cheek. Arcturas couldn't see anymore of his face under the hood. But he could sense the life energy coming off of the man in black. And that was all he needed to make and identification. The man put the piece of gold around his neck and the torches sparked fires.
"What makes you so sure that I am going to receive the Pharaoh's Relic of Darkness", Arcturas asked. "I appreciate your concern, but I must do my duty and protect my king. I was assigned to keep Pharaoh Atem safe when I was given my Relic of Darkness", he said. He held up his right arm with a pointing finger. "I can't believe that you would even consider that I should abandon his majesty. You know just as well as I do that he is at risk of the three. You heard the message".
The man's mouth dropped to a discouraged expression. "Yes, I was there when the message came to Pharaoh Atem". His voice wasn't as deep now, but softer. "And that's exactly why you must not go see the Pharaoh. Croan, Moze, and Frost are far too powerful for even all of the guardians' power. Not even the Pharaoh's three mighty allies can stop their monsters. The Pharaoh is going to die tonight no matter what". When he finished, his piece of gold illuminated again.
Arcturas's hands were now clenched into fists. "You sicken me. The Pharaoh needs our help Flare, and all you can think of is how we are going to die. Strong as their monsters are, we have to fulfill our promises made to the Pharaoh when we became guardians", he shouted. He raised his right fist to show a black aura flowing around it. "Now you can either move out of my way so I may protect Pharaoh Atem, or I will move you myself".
The cloaked man held up a hand of his own. But his fingers were spread slightly. "If you insist on protecting the Pharaoh", he said grimly, "then I am afraid that this is where I kill you Guardian Seven". He held his hand forward and a red aura showed where it was in the shadowy corridor. The aura spiraled forward and struck the ground, revealing a purple creature with bones covering its body. Its head was a large skull with horns pointing down and it also had large claws. "Rocho came buy here as well. As you can see, he didn't make it to the Pharaoh either". The monster spread the blue wings on its back.
"You bastard! Rocho wasn't even a guardian. So, the Second Guardian was right, you really have sworn your loyalty to the dark priest Vincent Frost", the guardian of the Pharaoh muttered as he extended his fist. The black aura around his hand spiraled just like the red one. The monster that appeared was a blue-skinned human. A dark blue hat that bent backward to form horns had red designs and rested upon its long, black hair. The clothes in which the monster was dressed matched the hat in color but had less designs. "This is the monster that has protected the Pharaoh from countless attacks. Behold its awesome power". The monster held out its gloved hands and created a black scepter. It swung the scepter around like baton before smacking it against the ground and creating a large black orb of electricity.
"Your monster is powerful, but I am still too strong for it to beat. Rocho's monster isn't a weak creature like most others", the hooded man said. The creature that had armor crafted from bones raised its claws and lightning ran through them. "This creature is one of the monsters chosen by the Pharaoh to protect him in the next life. Attack him beast of Rocho", he ordered.
The lightning flew from the claws of Rocho's former monster and struck Arcturas's monster. "Try all you like. My monster is the first in line to protect the Pharaoh in the next life. Observe his great strength". His voice echoed through the slightly lit corridor. His monster (The Magician of Black Chaos) broke the wave of electricity and fired the orb of black electricity at the monster in front of the intruder (Summoned Skull). The attack forced the torches in the hallway to go out again as it flew through the small passageway. It crashed into the Summoned Skull and blasted it to pieces.
The man in the cloak began to laugh. "I hope you don't think that my monster will be anywhere as weak as Rocho's was", he said. He formed another red aura around his hand. "My monster is more than capable of killing you Seventh Guardian". The red aura spiraled from his hand and crashed into the ground. The light from his glowing piece of gold vanished as a monster masked by the darkness formed in front of him.
The guardian looked up at ten glowing red eyes glaring down at him. "Wha… what is that?" he stuttered. All he heard was the echo of his enemy's maniacal laughter as his monster was destroyed by an unseen attack. Arcturas collapsed to his knees, his eyes in a blank gaze. His torso fell toward the ground as the golden object around his neck burst into ten pieces and his body disappeared.
Arcturas blinked and snapped out of his trance. 'Arcturas, are you listening. I asked if you wanted to get in one of these duels. You haven't had much action since we were in L.A.', Darren offered.
'Oh sorry. I was just thinking. No thank you. This is your tournament. Why who is your next match against?' he asked.
"I don't know. I'm still waiting for everyone else to finish". Darren stretched and yawned. "Well then, I guess I'll just do all the dueling from now on", he joked. Arcturas's laugh came to his ears.
'It's sad that he can only remember that. I wasn't even born and I know more about what happened', Cairo thought as he walked away from an arena. A duelist lay motionless as medics rushed over to check him. 'The poor guardian. But he mustn't worry, I'll put him out of his miser soon enough'.
And here ends the first dueless chapter since the beginning. If anyone doesn't like this chapter I'm sorry. I think I rushed through it and I'm pretty sure it shows. And I know the duel sucks. But I felt some of Arcturas's background story needed to get out before I end this saga. Also, Arcturas's deck is the deck I use in real life.